RantCrush Top 5: December 19, 2016

Bana is a seven-year-old girl who, until very recently, was living in East Aleppo. Bana and her mother Fatemah ran a Twitter account where they posted about their daily lives in the besieged city.

Good afternoon from #Aleppo I’m reading to forget the war. pic.twitter.com/Uwsdn0lNGm

— Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) September 26, 2016

As the battle raged on in Aleppo, Bana and her mother asked for help over social media, including creating a video addressed to Michelle Obama.

@AlabedBana and her mother make an somber, urgent plea to Michelle Obama @FLOTUS to help them make it safely out of east #Aleppo. pic.twitter.com/GlTd7O4ONQ

— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) December 16, 2016

Bana’s story has been likened to a modern-day Anne Frank–a view into the world of a child trying to grow and thrive in a war zone. But there’s some good news about Bana today: according to a Turkish NGO, both she and Fatemah have been evacuated.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.